The Roses Trilogy: Book Two - Black Roses
by Robyn Hedgehog
Summary: Part 2 of 3. Things really start to heat up went Donovan and Katherine make their move. Please R&R.


Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are copyright Sega, Archie Comics, and/or DiC. I'm not sure which, nor do I care. 

Robyn Hedgehog, Peter Hedgehog, and related characters copyright Michelle McGee. 

Midnight Starr is copyright Lily McGee. 

Jenny Fox is copyright Melissa Randles. 

You may print this story out for later reading. But don't try to sell it, or take credit for writing it. You may think I'll never find out, but I will. And when I do, I'll have exactly 113 pizza's sent your house, and tell the government you're a spy from another country. So there. ;p 

Author's Note: Welcome to the new Black Roses! I wasn't too happy with the way it turned out the first time around, so I decided to rewrite it. It's been changed enough to allow it to be more easily integrated with two other stories to form a trilogy. However, it's still mostly the same. Enjoy! 

Black Roses 

The Roses Trilogy, Book Two ver. 2

By: Robyn Hedgehog 

Robyn checked her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. Bunnie and Antoine were supposed to have disconnected the power to the cellblock by now. Princess Sally's instructions had been not to release the captive furries until the electricity had been turned off. 

She looked her watch once more. "Man, where are they? They should have cut the power five minutes ago." because of unforeseen complications, this was probably the only chance they would have to free the prisoners before they were roboticized.

Suddenly, all the lights in the prison block went off. "About time guys." the violet hedgehog muttered under her breath as she turned on her flashlight and jumped out of the air vent she was hiding in. 

The hedgehog was opening the powerless cell doors and pointing out the nearest exit, when all the lights came back on.

"Great," she hit the off switch on her flashlight, wondering how long it would be until the Swat-bots showed up. "C'mon! Let's go! Take the exit down the hall to the left." the young hedgehog shouted to the freed prisoners who had stopped dead in their tracks when the lights came back on. Robyn quickly checked the cells for any remaining prisoners. Seeing none, she turned to follow the escaping furries, but found her path blocked by several Swat-bots. 

"Oh, hi. I was just leaving. So if you could just move, I'll get out of your way." 

"Halt Freedom Fighter." one of the Swat-bots droned. 

"Or not." she amended, slowly backing away. Looking around, Robyn saw only one way out of this particular predicament that probably wouldn't have her run into any more bots. She threw the handiest object - which just happened to be her flashlight - at the closest Swat-bot. The flashlight hit the bot right in the face, leaving a nice big dent. 

While the Swat-bots were processing this, the violet hedgehog had blasted down the hall, thinking that'd it be clear sailing all the way home.

But when she turned the corner, she immediately ran into something, knocking her of her feet. Or rather someone. When Robyn got up, she saw whom she had run into. A handsome black hedgehog sat on the floor rubbing his head. 

"Oh god, I'm sorry, are you okay?" she blurted out, rushing over to help him. 

The other hedgehog slowly got up. "Yeah, I'm f-" he stopped mid sentence when he saw her. "Fine." he finished. "I'm Peter," the black hedgehog said, extending his paw. 

"Peter, can we save the introductions for later? We've got company." Robyn stated, pointing behind him. Peter looked over his shoulder and froze when he saw at least a dozen Swat-bots heading for them. 

Seeing that they didn't have a lot of time, Robyn grabbed Peter's arm and dashed off; heading toward an air vent that would take them out of the building. 

Robyn kneeled down and tried to pull the grate off, but it was on too tight. "A little help here?" she said sharply, struggling to get the grate off. Peter bent over, grabbed it, and helped Robyn pull. A few seconds pulling and grunting later, the cover came off, and they both fell over backwards. 

"Aww, jeez, here they come!" Peter exclaimed. Robyn grabbed his arm and pulled him in the ventilation shaft. She pulled the grill work back into place, then gestured for Peter to be quiet. As expected, the bots passed right by them. 

After the Swat-bots had left, Robyn started crawling down the ventilation shaft, then looked over her shoulder and told him to follow her. The black hedgehog obliged, and the pair eventually ended up in an alley outside of the prison. 

Robyn walked hurriedly over to the corner and checked for any sign of Swat-bot or Spy Eyes. Seeing none, the female hedgehog returned to where Peter was standing. "Coast is clear. Grab on." she said. "And hold on tight, if you let go, it'll really hurt." 

"Okay." was the reply. 

Soon afterwards, Robyn and Peter had stopped in a clearing in the forest. That is if you could call it a clearing. It was more of an empty space between the trees. In any case, she knew better than to just bring some guy she met in Robotropolis into Knothole. 

"Thanks for the help, uh, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." 

"That's because I never threw it. I'm Robyn," she said with a pleasant smile. 

'It's her! She's the one!' his mind screamed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Robyn." he said kissing her paw. 

Robyn blushed, but the failing light made it difficult to tell. "It's nice to meet you to Peter. So where you from?" she asked. 

'Good question.' "The Great Plains." he replied, saying the first place that came to mind. 

"No way! That's where I'm from!" she exclaimed, already beginning to trust him. 

"Really? Small planet huh?" 

"I'll say. So where you headed?" 

'Keep cool Peter, you can do this.' he thought to himself. Out loud he said, "No where really." 

"Well, if you need a place to stay, you could come back to Knothole with me." 

"I'd be honored." he said. 

"Then grab on. I'm already late." Robyn said, glancing at her watch. Peter once again put his arms around her waist, and they both headed back to Knothole. 

Several minutes later Robyn had come to a stop in front of her hut. "Wait here, I need to go take care of a few things. I'll be back in minute." 

"Okay." answered the black hedgehog, entering the hut while Robyn ran off. 

After she had left, Peter opened his small wrist communicator - which until now had been hidden under his glove - and contacted Ann, a pretty little mouse, and one of his best friends. "Peter to Ann. Peter to Ann. Ann, where are ya?!" 

"Chill Pete! I'm right here. What do ya got for me?" 

"I've located Knothole and my mission objective." 

"Really? Wow! That's great! I'll report it right away." Ann exclaimed excitedly just as she was about to kill the link. 

"Ann, before you go, do me a favor." 

"Sure, what?" 

"Stop callin' me PETE!" he snapped irritably. 

"Alright, alright. I gotta go report your findings. Contact me if anything interesting happens. See ya...Pete!" the blonde haired mouse said and cut the transmission before Peter could protest. The hedgehog growled a little out of frustration and began to look around the hut. He saw a few bits of scattered furniture and a lot of pictures. There appeared to be three other rooms, and little else. Apparently these Freedom Fighters had it little better than he and his nomads in their early days of travel. The only differences having a more or less permanent shelter and actual furniture. For a moment, Peter felt a pang as a wave of nostalgia overtook him. He then shook his head and snorted to himself disgustedly. He had a job to do. 

Outside, Sonic had come to a screeching halt in front of Robyn's hut. He had heard that she had finally returned to Knothole after the rescue mission she had been on. Sonic figured that she must be back at her hut by now, but when he opened the door, he saw a hedgehog of a different color. "Hey, who are you, and what are you doin' here?" Sonic asked, arms folded across his chest. 

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing." the black hedgehog said in a calm, cool voice. Sonic had a nasty retort on his lips, but Robyn chose that moment to walk back in. 

"Hi Sonic, what are you doing here?" 

"Just thought I'd drop in and see how things went in Robotropolis. Who's he?" inquired the blue hedgehog, glancing briefly at Peter. 

"Sonic, this is Peter. Peter, this is my cousin, Sonic." the two male hedgehogs regarded each other coldly. 

"Hey Rob, can I talk to you a sec?" Sonic took another look at Peter and added "Alone?" 

"Sure. Peter, would you mind?" 

"No problem." said the dark hedgehog, exiting the hut, and shutting the door behind him. 

"I don't like him." Sonic stated bluntly as soon as Peter was gone. 

"You don't like anybody." replied Robyn. "You do this with every guy you meet. St. John, Griff, Knux. And they turned out to be pretty good guys. Well, 'cept St. John, but that's beside the point. Please, just give him a chance Sonic. For me?" the last part was said with a pleading note in her voice, and the pitiful puppy dog expression on her face that she knew he couldn't say no to. 

He eyed his cousin, and reluctantly gave in. "Alright, but I'm keeping an eye on him." 

"Thank you, Sonic." she thanked him in a super sweet voice, very pleased with herself for getting out of a potential argument with her cousin. 

Sonic left the hut and was about to dash off when he heard voices coming from nearby. He quietly approached the source of the sound, poking his head around the corner. The blue hedgehog saw Peter leaning against the wall, and speaking in hushed tones into a small wrist communicator. 

"...cousin is suspicious, but I don't think he'll be much of a threat." Peter paused a moment, then continued. "I'll just be a little more careful." 

"You better be more careful. You know what the punishment is if you get caught." came a female voice. 

"I know, I know. Sounds like they're done in there. I better go. Bye Ann." 

"Later Pete!" Ann said as she quickly turned off her end of the line. Shaking his head, the black hedgehog shut off his communicator. Sonic decided that it was time he left, and ran off just as Peter was about to round the corner. The black hedgehog stopped, thinking he heard something, but after hearing nothing else, he merely shrugged and headed back inside. 

Once more inside the hut, Robyn grabbed his arm as she walked out. Peter stopped her and asked where they were going. "I'm taking you to meet the rest of the Freedom Fighters. I was gonna wait till tomorrow, but you've already met Sonic, so you might as well meet the others." she explained, leading him outside. 

It had been weeks since Robyn had brought Peter to Knothole. And to her surprise, everybody - except Sonic - absolutely loved him. He helped Rotor in his workshop, volunteered for missions in Robotropolis, and helped out with various odd jobs that had to be done. Even Antoine liked him! And during this time, Peter had been spending nearly every spare moment he had with Robyn. And the more time they spent together, the more suspicious Sonic got. 

Finally Sonic had had enough, and decided to find out what was going on. Even though it meant going behind her back, Sonic went to Robyn's best friend, Midnight, for help. 

"What on Mobius is this?" Midnight was inside her tent cleaning out some stuff that she didn't need anymore. Currently, she was holding up an odd looking piece of equipment, wondering what it was, when she heard an approaching sonic boom. "I'll be out in a second Robyn. I just need to finish up here." The midnight blue cat called out while putting a few things away, and setting the odd little gizmo on her cot for further inspection. The feline stepped out of her tent to greet who she thought was her friend Robyn. "Oh, hello Sonic. Was there a problem with the information I gave Sally?" the spy asked. 

"No, the info you got us was a big help." 

"Then what do you want?" she asked, going from forced politeness to plain annoyance."Mids, I need a favor." 

"What kind of favor?" she asked dubiously. 

"I think Robyn may be in trouble. There's a new guy in Knothole, and he's been acting, well, weird." 

"How so?" Sonic told Midnight about Peter and the conversation that he had overheard, as well as some other unusual activities the black hedgehog was oft found doing. "Normally, I wouldn't get involved in this type of thing. But, since this is my best friend we're talking about here, I'll do it." Midnight said after a time. 

"Thanks Mids, I owe ya one!" Sonic said, speeding off. Midnight sighed as he left; knowing that life as she knew it was about to become even more complicated. 

Back at Knothole Robyn and Peter were walking by the Ring Pool admiring the scenery, talking about this and that, and generally just enjoying each other's company. Both were laughing at a joke one had told when Peter suddenly became serious. "Robyn, there's something I need to tell you." Peter told her after she had asked if anything was wrong. 

"What is it Peter?" Robyn asked, sounding concerned. 

"Well, I'm not really sure how to say this, but, Robyn, you mean the world to me. And there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you." 

"So what you're saying is-" the violet hedgehog started, not sure if she understood him. 

"I love you, Robbie." Peter confessed as he softly kissed her lips. Robyn, at first was stunned, but gradually loosened up as she felt a flood gate of emotion open up. 

"Oh Peter, I love you to." Robyn said when they parted. 

The two remained together for the rest of the evening. 

When Robyn returned home later that night, she discovered that she had a visitor. 

Jenny Fox sat it a chair munching on a piece of pizza and reading a book. "Hiya Rob! Did'ya forget we were going to have dinner tonight?" Jenny asked, looking up from her book. 

"I'm sorry Jen. I completely forgot. I got kinda...involved in something and lost track of the time." Robyn apologized. 

"That's okay Rob. I saw you and Peter by the Ring Pool earlier." 

"You did?" the purple hedgehog winced as if she'd accidentally cut her finger. 

"Yep. He's cute isn't he?" Jenny asked, smiling. 

"Shut up, Jenny." 

"Aww, come on Robyn. Admit it, you like him." 

"Jenny..." she was now speaking in warning tones. 

"Well?" 

"Alright, alright. Yes Jenny, I like the guy. There, you satisfied?" Robyn asked, sounding rather annoyed. 

"Completely. As the saying goes; 'The tomboy rears her ugly head last'. Kelly and Grace are gonna love this!" Jenny exclaimed as she got up and walked out the door. 

"Whoa, hold on." the hedgehog said grabbing Jenny's tail. "You're not telling anybody. Especially Kelly and Grace." 

"Oh, fine. I'll give you two peace...for now." Jenny said, then giggling, pulled her tail out of her friend's paw and left. 

'If I weren't in such a good mood, I'd kill her. If she says one word to Grace or Kelly, it'll be all over Knothole faster than Sonic can eat a chilidog. And I'll never hear the end of it!' Robyn thought to herself. With a sigh, she went into her kitchen to see if Jenny had left any pizza for her and Peter. "Swell. Sure is a light eater, isn't she?" she said sarcastically as she looked at the one remaining half eaten slice. "Now what are we gonna eat? I don't have enough time to fix another one!" Robyn slowly walked out of the kitchen, and ears down, over to the large, overstuffed easy chair where Jenny had previously been sitting. Plopping down heavily on the chair, the violet hedgehog reached over for her favorite book. But when she pulled her arm back, she found that her book was gone. "Argh! Jenny must've took it!" Robyn cried out to nobody in particular. "Jen-ny!!" 

As if on cue, the door to the hut opened and the frustrated hedgehog immediately threw a cushion at it. 

"Hey! Is that any way to treat a guest?" Peter asked, catching the cushion. 

"Sorry Peter. I thought you where Jenny." 

"Now why would you think something silly like that? I always thought I looked more like a hedgehog than a fox." 

Robyn giggled and said, "Jenny and I were supposed to have dinner tonight while we were out, and she ate all the pizza I made. Plus she took my favorite book. So now not only are we dinner-less, I have nothing to read." she explained. 

"Oh. Well, I can't do anything about your book, but, I CAN fix our dinner situation." Peter said, tossing the cushion aside, and rushing into the kitchen. She followed him, insisting that he not bother. "Robyn, please. Go relax. I'm fine." he said, ushering Robyn out of the kitchen and into her bedroom. 

"Are ya sure?" she asked. 

"Yes, I'm certain. Now don't worry your pretty little head about it. I have everything under control." he assured her, kissing her forehead and shoving her into her room. 

Once she was out of the way, Peter went back into the kitchen, opened his wrist communicator, and contacted Ann. 

When Ann answered, Peter had to stifle a laugh when he saw her because she looked like a total wreck! Her hair was sticking out in all different directions, her ears were flopped over, and there was a strange green goop on her face. 

"This better be good Peter. You woke me up from the best dream ever." Ann snapped groggily. 

"You called me Peter? Not Pete, or Petey?" The black hedgehog admonished.

"Yeah, and one word about how I look and I shove this goo down your throat. Now what do you want? 

"Just thought you should know that I have initialized phase 2." 

Ann perked up some. "Really? When do you plan to begin phase 3?" the mouse asked. 

"By the end of the week. I should have no trouble getting her there. And Sonic's suspicion could work to my advantage." he paused long enough to offer her a smile. "Ann, I better go. I'll contact you in the morning." 

"Kay. Night Pete!" 

"Night A-...Ann!! Why that little...oh well, I have a dinner to fix." Peter said, opening Robyn's small refrigerator. All the while wondering if it was just him, or if Ann had gotten both more annoying, and cute at the same time. 

It hadn't been long since Peter had ushered Robyn into her room, and the latter was just about fed up with waiting. "If he doesn't hurry I'm gonna die of boredom!" the violet hedgehog drummed her fingers against the nightstand beside her bed impatiently. "That's it. I can't stand it anymore! I'm gonna go find out what going on out there." the hedgehog resolved, standing up and walking over to her door. 

When Robyn opened the door, she was met the sight of Peter lighting a candle set in the center of a small table set in the middle of the her living room. On the table two places were set, with a small vase placed in the center of the table next to the candle with a red rose in it. 

"Ahh, you have arrived just in time. Please, have a seat." Peter said pulling out a chair for her. 

"Thanks." she said, sitting down. "So what's for dinner?" Robyn asked. 

Peter smiled, stepped into the kitchen, and emerged with a covered platter. He slowly walked over to the table, being careful not to drop what he was carrying. When he reached the table, Peter removed the lid to reveal a steaming plate full of chilidogs. 

"Not the most romantic meal ever, but I think it'll suffice. Don't you agree?" Peter said with a laugh. 

"Fully. Who needs romantic food when I've got you?" Robyn said, smiling from ear to ear. 

Meanwhile, outside, Midnight had been keeping tabs on the evening's events. 

"Man, he is good!" the feline said quietly to herself. "If I hadn't have heard Peter's little conversation with that mouse, what's her name, he'd have me fooled. Guess Sonic was right. I better keep a close eye on Peter. This could be serious." the midnight colored cat had been writing down the highlights of Robyn and Peter's conversation, and her paws were beginning to ache. "That's the last time I forget to plant one of those little recording things." Robyn and Peter stopped talking for a moment, and Midnight was thankful for the opportunity to stop writing. While rubbing her hurting paw, the spy watched as the two hedgehogs drew closer to each other. And when they kissed, she nearly fell out of the tree she was in. "Okay, I think I've seen enough." she decided. Midnight quietly climbed out of the tree and flew back to her camp. She had a lot of information to go over before she reported her findings to Sonic in the morning. 

"He WAT?!!?" Sonic yelled when Midnight told him what she had seen the night before. "I'll kill him!" he exclaimed, stalking toward the door. 

Midnight grabbed his arm. "Sonic, wait. Let me get a little more information. If I'm right, there could be more to this than meets the eye." 

"Okay, fine." Sonic agreed reluctantly. "But if you don't find anything else, I get to knock the stuffing outta him." 

"Deal. Oh, and by the way, he hates being called 'Pete'." the two blue furries said goodbye to each other and Midnight flew off in search of Peter. 

Over the following week, Midnight was almost like a shadow, following Peter nearly everywhere he went, learning bits and pieces of his plan through his frequent conversations with Ann. While Sonic's attempt to convince Robyn that Peter was no good were shot down one after the other, because he didn't dare tell her that he had Midnight spying on them. 

Peter, meanwhile, was preparing to initialize phase 3 and taking care of last minute details with Ann. 

"It will be ready when we get there right? Everything has to go smoothly for this to work." 

"Pete, for the last time, everything has been taken care of. Do you have the ring?" 

"Of course I have the ring. I am totally ready for this. I just wanna make sure things are ready on your end. And for god sake, stop calling me Pete!" 

The mouse smiled. Her friend was scared out of his gourd, and wouldn't admit it. "Alright, alright already. When will you be arriving?" 

"If everything goes according to plan, sometime tomorrow afternoon." 

"Excellent! The masters shall be pleased!" Ann exclaimed, delighted. 

"Yeah, especially since I'm so way ahead of schedule. Well, I've got stuff to do. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Yeah, I've got a few things to do myself." There was an awkward silence between the two before Peter closed his communicator, shutting off the COM link. 

Ann slowly reached over to the side of her monitor and turned it off. She sighed softly. Then the mouse suddenly became angry with herself. "Damn it Ann! Would it kill you to swallow your pride once?! Just admit you like the guy. How hard could that possibly be?" she scolded herself. "Oh well, next time. Right now, if I don't report, I'll be hearing and earful later." 

Ann left the communications room and walked down a long, deserted corridor, thinking that she should have done this sooner. Eventually, she came upon a pair of large, oak wood doors. The doors had beautiful, intricate designs carved into each one. Ann stood there a moment, admiring the beautiful carvings, then reached up and knocked on them a few times. From behind the large doors came a deep, powerful voice telling her to enter. 

Ann pushed the oak doors open, walked in a few steps and stopped. She placed her arm diagonally across her chest, placing her fist over her heart and bowed slightly before to bears sitting upon their golden thrones. 

"Report Ann." the male bear commanded. 

"Peter is ready to begin the third phase of your plan and wishes to know whether or not the items he has requested are ready, my lord." Ann said, choosing her words with great care knowing that her life may depend on it. 

The female bear then spoke. "You may inform Peter that we have prepared everything for his arrival, Ann." 

"Yes Mistress." Ann, sensing she was dismissed, bowed briefly and left. 

Robyn sat leaning against a tree, Midnight levitating a little above her. Robyn was bubbling on about something romantic Peter had done the night before. And up until now, Midnight had sat listening patiently. "Robyn, are you sure he's really all you think he is? I mean, we hardly know anything about him, or where he came from. Other than that he claims to know the furries you helped escape the night you found him. And of the ones that came back to Knothole, all of them say they've never met him before. It seems kinda suspicious if you ask me." said Midnight, trying not to let on that she knew more than she was saying. 

"What a thing to say Midnight. Besides, even if he isn't, what harm could he do?" 

"You'd be surprised at the amount of damage one hedgehog can do." the purple hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "Look, I'm just saying be careful." 

"You don't trust him at all, do you?" Robyn asked. 

"About as far as I can throw him." the hedgehog bit back a nasty remark and waved as she saw Peter coming towards them. "Speak of the devil..." Midnight muttered as Robyn got up to hug Peter. 

"Hello ladies." Peter greeted them with a big smile on his face. "Mind if I barrow Robyn from you Midnight? I'll try not to keep her too long." 

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead. I need be getting back anyway." 

"Great, see ya later Midnight." 

"See ya Midy!" 

"Bye guys, Catch ya later..." Midnight watched as Peter led Robyn off somewhere, and when they were out of site and added "I hope." 

Once they had entered the forest, Peter had blindfolded Robyn, and much to her displeasure, was leading her around in what seemed like circles. Now the light was beginning to fade and Peter decided to take Robyn to where he really intended to go instead of leading her around. He brought her to a small clearing and removed the blindfold. When her eyes grew accustomed to the low light, Robyn saw a small table for two set very similar to the way it had been set the night Jenny had eaten all the pizza. Only this time, two black roses stood in the vase next to the candle. 

"Oh Peter. It's beautiful. I don't think you could have chosen a better spot." And it was true. The clearing had no tree cover, so one could have a magnificent view of the stars. A stream ran through the clearing where soon the light from the stars and moon would dance upon it, making it shimmer. It was next to this stream that the table was set.

The two stood there for a few moments longer taking in the beauty. Peter then led Robyn to the table, seated her, and without a word, disappeared behind a few trees. He soon reappeared carrying a bowl of salad. He served her some, placed some in his bowl and sat down. 

"Mmm, Peter, this is delicious!" she told him after taking a bite. 

"I figured you'd like it." The two ate in silence after that, a nervous edge hung in the air. 

Once she had finished, Robyn decided to break the silence. "So what's next on the menu?" she asked. 

Peter smiled that knowing smile of his, and once again disappeared behind the same group of trees. When he appeared again, he carried two plates, each covered by a dome like lid, which hid its contents from view. "I hope this will be better than the chili dogs." he said as he placed one of the plates in front of her and removed the lid, revealing a plate full of lasagna. 

"Oh, wow, I haven't had lasagna since I was a kid. And it's nearly impossible to find the right spices anymore. Peter, how on Mobius did you do this?" 

"I have my ways." The black hedgehog said slyly. "Here, try it." he said handing her a fork. 

Robyn accepted the fork and took a bite of the lasagna. "Wow, this is good. You are an excellent chef." Peter shifted nervously. 

"I've been told that. I just wish I were as good at what I'm about to do next." Robyn gave Peter a confused look as he got down on one knee. He pulled out a small, black, velvet box. "Robyn, will you marry me?" Peter asked as he opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond engagement ring. 

Robyn gasped. Peter had caught her completely off guard. She had a sudden vision of the two of them together, leading a happy life. She imagined their home, their family. 

She then realized that she had not given an answer, and Peter was waiting. "Yes, yes I will marry you, Peter Hedgehog." Peter placed the ring on her finger, and they embraced. 

"I knew you'd say yes. And I'll make sure you never have to regret your decision." 

"I don't see how I could ever possible regret marrying you. You are the kindest, most trustworthy, and loving hedgehog I know." 

Robyn and Peter continued giving each other compliments as they ate, each trying to out do the other until they finally dissolved into laughter. 

The next morning, Sonic, Sally, Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor were in the War Room planning a raid in Robotropolis for that night. 

Sally and Rotor were discussing technical issues, which none of the other three Freedom Fighters understood a word of. 

Sonic was about to stop Rotor and Sally's techno babble and ask for a translation when Robyn burst in. 

"Robyn, where have you been? You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago." Sally said, absently glancing down at her watch. 

"Sorry Sally. But I have two real good excuses. 1, I over slept." 

"And the second?" 

"Peter asked me to marry him!!" 

The Freedom Fighters all gave her a stunned look. Bunnie found her voice first. 

"Well, congratulations darlin!" 

"Robyn, that's great news! Have you two set a date yet?" Sally asked. 

"No, but-" Robyn began, but was quickly interrupted by Sonic. 

"Now wait one sonic second. No way you're marryin' that creep." 

"Yeah, and why not?" 

"Because he doesn't love you, he just wants to hurt you." 

"And how do you know that?" Robyn asked with acid in her voice. She clearly was NOT happy with her cousin's response. 

"I know that because...because I've had Midnight spy on you and Peter for the past week." Sonic confessed, knowing it was probably a mistake telling her that. 

Robyn stepped back from the shock. "How could you Sonic? I thought you trusted me. I am NOT a 14-year-old girl any more. I can take care of myself." you could see the hurt in her eyes as she ran out the door, letting it slam shut. 

"Robyn, wait! I-" Sonic called. But it was too late. She was out the door and gone before the words even left his mouth. 

Sonic sat back heavily in his chair and for the first time noticed everybody staring at him. "What?!" 

Robyn raced back to her hut. What Sonic had done had hurt her. After spending four years with the Freedom Fighters, she thought that at the very least her own family would trust her. Apparently she was wrong. And the fact that it was her best friend that he had gotten to do the job made things even worse. 

Robyn stopped in front of her house and walked through the door. She saw Peter eating a banana and looking over and old map. 

"Hi." Robyn said to Peter as she collapsed on her worn out couch. 

"What's wrong Robbie? You look upset." 

"I am. Sonic just told me what he thinks of us getting married." she said with a touch of malice.

"He is entitled to his own opinion dear one. I'm sure he'll come around."

"Yeah, well, you haven't heard the half of it. He's also had Midnight spy on us for the past week. I wouldn't be surprised if she is right now." Peter's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard this. Fortunately for him, Robyn wasn't looking. 'Dear God. If that cat has been spying on us, she knows the plan! We have to leave NOW!' 

"So Sonic is completely opposed to us getting married?" 

"Yep. And knowing him, he'll probably try and stop the wedding." 

"Then why stay?" 

"What?" Robyn asked, giving Peter a bewildered look. 

"Well, if he's gonna try and stop us, why stick around and let him? We could go to my village in the Great Plains. See, it's not that far from where your village used to be." he said showing her the map. "We could be there this afternoon and get married." Robyn turned the thought over in her mind. She loved Peter, but could she really leave Knothole? Then she remembered what Sonic and her so-called friend had done. She knew what to do. 

"Alright. Let's do it." 

"Great! When do you want to leave?" 

"Right now. The sooner we leave, the better." 

"No. If they go, we may never see them again!" Midnight exclaimed quietly to herself. She had planted a bug in Robyn's hut earlier, and had been listening for any important information. And this was about as important as it got. "I have to get that map." the spy heard a departing sonic boom, and decided it was safe to go in. Entering through an open window, the spy went to get the map. 

She found it rolled up on the table with a short note from Robyn. It said: 

To whoever finds this first, 

I've left Knothole to marry Peter, and I'm not coming back. Sonic, don't try and stop me. 

Robyn 

"Oh no." the feline quickly unrolled the map and found their destination marked with a red X. 'How cliche.' she found herself thinking. After studying the map a few more minutes, Midnight marked the quickest safest path to Peter's village, Raeb, rolled the map back up, grabbed Robyn's note, and dashed out the door. 

Meanwhile, Sonic and Sally were having a heated discussion about his actions. The other Freedom Fighters had long since cleared out, knowing that one of their arguments could last for hours. 

"How could you do that to her!?" Sally asked, almost yelling. "She's not a child Sonic. She is old enough to make her own decisions. She doesn't need you running her life." 

"Come on Sal. D'ya think I'd do something that stupid without a good reason? Just let me explain." 

"Sorry Sonic...you don't...have time...to explain! Robyn's gone!" Midnight gasped out in between breaths. 

"What?!?" Sonic and Sally both exclaimed in unison. 

Still panting from her mad dash from Robyn's hut to the War Room, Midnight handed the note she found to Sonic. 

Sonic read the short note. "Do you know where they went?" 

"Yeah. Just follow this," she instructed, handing him the map. "It should lead you straight to them." 

"Right. I'm outta here!" Sonic declared, racing out the door. 

After he had left, Sally turned to Midnight. "You mind telling me what's going on here?" 

"Sure. Make yourself comfortable, and I'll tell you ALL about it." 

It was a several hours later when Robyn and Peter had come to a screeching halt in the middle of Raeb. 

"This it?" Robyn asked looking around. 

"Yep. Like it?" 

"Yeah, reminds me of home." 

"Peter!!" Robyn and Peter turned to see a mouse running toward them. 

"Ann." Peter whispered when he recognized the mouse. When she got close enough, Peter took her up in his arms and held her close a moment. Even though he hated to admit it, he had really missed Ann these past weeks and was glad to see her again. "Robyn, I'd like you to meet my very good friend, Ann. Ann, this is my fiancée, Robyn." 

"So that's what you've been up to all this time! Congratulations! I hope you guys are real happy together. 

"Uh, thank you, Ann." Robyn said, still not sure what to make of the bubbly mouse. 

Sonic stood on a small hill over looking the remainder of the Great Plains, reading the map Midnight had given him. To get to his destination, Sonic had to cross a very rocky region similar to The Great Unknown, then make it across the grassy plains in the scorching heat with no trees to provide shade and no accessible water source. Which was not good since he had not bothered to pack any supplies other than the power ring that was already in his backpack. Fortunately, dark clouds were starting to move in. 

He had just crossed the rocky bit of desert, and now miles and miles of open space lay before him. 

"Man, when I get hold of that hedgehog, I'll kick his butt into next Tuesday! Robyn sure as hell better appreciate what I'm doin' for her." Sonic grumbled. He stood there a moment longer, and then tore off, his destination lying in the distance. 

It was now evening in the Great Plains. Peter and Robyn had gotten married in a small chapel earlier that afternoon and spent the rest of the day exploring the village. When the sun began to set, they went to Peter's small house on the edge of town to eat and rest before the real fun began that night. Peter waited until Robyn fell asleep, then quietly slipped out of the house. He came to what looked like an old shed and went inside. In the center of the room an old rug laid. Peter rolled it back to reveal a trap door. He opened it and climbed inside. The black hedgehog walked down the same long corridor Ann had earlier until he came to the pair of oak doors with the intricate carvings. He knocked on the doors a few times, and then was told to enter. 

"So, you have returned Peter." the female bear stated. 

"Were you successful?" asked the male bear. 

"Yes sire, I was successful. I await further orders." Peter bowed deeply. 

"Hold out your hands." the Donovan ordered. He complied, and a dagger with unusual markings on the blade appeared in his hands. 

"Bring this blade back to us with her life blood on it before midnight tonight." the Katherine commanded. Peter nodded his understanding, bowed once more, and left. 

Sonic stopped to check the map once more. He had somehow managed to get himself lost earlier, and had just recently gotten back where he needed to be. Sonic rolled the map back up and looked at the sky. Dark clouds were forming, which meant an impending storm. 'Great,' Sonic thought. 'Hope that storm doesn't hit till I can find some shelter.' Off in the distance he could hear thunder. He knew the storm would break soon, and he wasn't thrilled by the prospect of getting soaked. 

Sonic started running again, the village finally coming into view. 

Peter reentered the small house, dagger in hand. Slowly, he made his way back to the bedroom. Once he got there, Peter went to the bedside and took a few moments to gaze upon the purple hedgehog. 

Peter raised the dagger over the sleeping Robyn, took a deep breath, and tried to bring it down, but couldn't. Someone had a hold of his arm. 

"I don't think so, Pete." a voice behind him said. Peter turned just in time to see Sonic's fist collide with his face. He fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious. Sonic stepped over his prone body and went to Robyn's bedside. 

"Robbie, wake up, we've gotta go." the sleeping hedgehog slowly opened her eyes, then sat up swiftly when she realized who she was looking at. 

"Sonic, what are you doing here?!" Robyn demanded. 

"Savin' you. Now lets go." 

"I do not need saving, Sonic Hedgehog." whatever Sonic said next was lost to Robyn as she watched Peter try to sink his dagger in her cousin's back. "Sonic, behind you!" Sonic turned, saw Peter, and moved out of the way his attack. Peter deftly changed targets and tried to get Robyn in the chest. She rolled out of the way...not quick enough. The dagger found her flesh and left a large gash in her arm. Robyn screamed in pain. 

"Well, looks like I don't have to kill you after all." the black hedgehog remarked, darkly amused, and ran for the door. He wasn't fast enough, for Sonic caught him, spun him around, and was about to beat the living daylights out of him when a gigantic thunderbolt struck, shaking the whole house. This distracted Sonic just long enough for Peter to plant his foot in Sonic's gut and make his escape. 

After regaining her composure and fighting off the incredible pain shooting up her arm, Robyn was at Sonic's side. 

"Are you alright?" she asked. Sonic nodded weakly, still trying to catch his breath. 

Robyn looked down on her currently doubled over cousin, and then at her slashed arm. Had she listened to the warnings he had given her, neither of them would be in this mess. 

"I'm sorry," she said softly. 

"It's okay Robbie." Sonic said rather flatly after catching his breath. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't know." Robyn smiled meekly and looked away. She had caught the odd tone in his voice, and didn't like how it sounded, but wasn't sure how else to react to it. 

Outside, Peter was running for the old shed, and safety, as fast as he could. For a moment he thought he was gonna make it before that annoying blue hedgehog recovered and came after him. He was wrong. Before he knew what hit him, Peter found himself flying through the air and landing face down in the dirt. Sonic had tackled him from behind. When they landed, the dagger flew out of Peter's hand and into a conveniently placed well. 

A bolt of lightning struck the ground not far away from the two combating hedgehogs. The brilliant light was enough to momentarily blind them. When their vision cleared, they both looked up to see a pair of bears hovering above them. 

"You have failed us Peter!" boomed the male bear as he charged and shot an energy bolt at him. 

Sonic got out of the way of the blast, and was about to attack the air borne bears when he saw a mouse run up to Peter's body. 

Ann had been watching the beginnings of what promised to be an interesting fight when the bears appeared and blasted Peter. Now she was leaning over him, checking for vital signs. She was relieved to find he was still alive. 

"Ann?" he said weakly, opening his eyes some. 

"Yes Peter?" she asked, near tears. 

"I love you. I-I've always loved you." 

"Same here Peter." she whispered in a choked voice. 

"Call me Pete." she smiled through her tears. They then shared their first, last, and only kiss. They looked into each other's eyes, and he was gone. 

Ann looked up at the bears; rage building up inside and tears streaming unheeded down her face. 

"You killed him!!" she yelled accusingly. 

"He failed us Ann. The punishment for failure is death," the female bear said, almost hoping Ann would not give them a reason to kill her too. Almost. "Do not make us do it again." 

Ann looked down, a defeated look on her face. Then suddenly, she jumped to her feet; pulled out the small laser pistol she always carried, and started shooting. The shots were often way of their intended targets, and the ones that did hit had no effect. She didn't care. 

The bears eventually tired of this, and with the wave a hand, lightning struck the gray mouse, killing her instantly. 

With those two annoyances out of the way, the murderous bears turned to Sonic, who until now, had been completely ignored. 

"You may have been able to stop Peter, hedgehog, but you certainly will not stop us!" the male bear exclaimed. 

"Yeah, and just who on Mobius are you tall, dark and gruesome?" 

"Insolent rodent! I am Donovan, ruler of all I survey." the male bear stated. 

"And I am his queen, Katherine." the female bear added. 

'Great, another set of would be conquerors.' Sonic thought grimly to himself. Donovan fired an energy beam at Sonic, who dodged it easily. 

"Is that the best you can do Donny?" Sonic asked, faint amusement in his voice. Both bears were now firing and missing every time. "C'mon, I'm not even workin' up a sweat here!" the hedgehog called out mockingly.

The super sonic hedgehog began a systematic series of attacks against the bears, forcing them to reveal their weaknesses. He also let loose with an interesting assortment of colorful, and very imaginative taunts and insults to prompt the evil bears into attacking him.

At first, it didn't seem like they had any weaknesses. That is until Sonic noticed something very interesting about Katherine and Donovan. Both wore gold crowns on their heads, and in each of these crowns was a red jewel. Every time one of them prepared to fire, the jewels would flare a bright red, then dim back down to its original glow. It was possible that these gems were some types of power source for the bears. Well, there was only one way to find out. 

"Stand still you blue rodent!" Donovan roared. 

Sonic stopped, struck one of his classic poses, and asked, "How's this?" 

"Perfect." Donovan and Katherine both fired at the same time. At the last possible second, Sonic sidestepped out of the way. But he didn't stop there though. The blue hedgehog started running circles around them, going faster and faster, until he created a large vortex. 

The artificial tornado sucked up the two bears, neither able to pull out of the driving wind. Sonic abruptly stopped, turned around, and ran in the opposite direction. The vortex slowed, and eventually stopped, leaving the two bears lying on the ground. 

Sonic cautiously approached Donovan and Katherine. Once he got close enough, the hedgehog reached over and pulled the gemstones out of their settings. Then unceremoniously smashed them under a large rock. 

Katherine and Donovan groaned, and slowly faded from view, their evil finally gone from the universe. 

A few yards away, Robyn was kneeling over the bodies of Peter and Ann. The reality of the moment had finally hit her, and she was having trouble keeping her emotions in check. Despite the fact that both had plotted to kill her, she still felt sorry for them. She had heard Peter declare his love for Ann right before he died. It didn't seem right for them to finally learn the truth about how the other felt about them, then lose their lives only moments later. 

Robyn felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, and saw Sonic standing behind her. She looked at him a moment, then, not able to stand it anymore, collapsed into his arms and cried. And at that moment, the sky let loose with a gently rain. It washed over the land, and brought new life to everything. Sonic simply sat there in the mud, with his arms around her. Neither cared they were getting soaked. All that was left to do was comfort his cousin. 

In a place far away, the sun was just rising over the horizon. Nearby, a bird sang, it's song carried by the morning breeze. As the sun rose higher into the sky, a few rays of stray sunlight reach two flowers opening their petals for the first time. Life on Mobius had begun anew. 

The End

....for now.

To be concluded in White Roses: The Roses Trilogy, Book Three


End file.
